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Yellow fever is a vector-borne acute viral hemorrhagic disease. It is endemic in tropical areas of Africa and Latin America but demonstrated the potential for international spread during the 2016 outbreak in Luanda, Angola. Yellow fever can be prevented by vaccination, vector control, and avoiding mosquito bites. To account for human behavior in disease dynamics, we add a game-theoretic component to a recent compartmental model of yellow fever transmission. The self-interested individuals evaluate the risks of contracting yellow fever and choose to vaccinate or avoid the bites to minimize the overall costs. We find the Nash equilibria, the optimal levels of vaccination and bite protections if the individuals can decide on the use of only one of the prevention methods as well as when they can decide on the use of both of them. In the later case, we show that vaccination is the preferred method of protection from the individual standpoint and, in the Nash equilibrium, individuals use vaccination only. Our model predicts the vaccination coverage in Angola to be around 65%, which is in reasonable agreement with the empirical value of 68%. We also study whether voluntary prevention can lead to the elimination of the disease in endemic areas. We show that voluntary vaccination alone is not enough to mitigate the risks of outbreaks, suggesting that a mandatory vaccination policy is necessary.
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Empowering Communities through Citizen Science: Dengue Prevention in Córdoba
Traditional mosquito vector control methods have proved ineffective in controlling the spread of dengue fever. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of community engagement through student-led science in promoting dengue prevention and socioecological factors in the temperate urban city of Córdoba, Argentina. It assesses community perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices regarding dengue fever and its vector. Results showed a significant increase in knowledge about the vector and the disease and respondents’ adoption of good preventive practices. Student-led science was identified as a valuable tool for reaching households and leading to behavior changes at home. Furthermore, the findings highlighted the need for school programs to address vector biology and vector-borne disease prevention all year round. This study provides invaluable insights into the effectiveness of community engagement through student-led science to promote dengue prevention and socioecological factors. The findings suggest that this approach could be used to control the spread in other regions affected by the disease.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1911999
- PAR ID:
- 10566787
- Publisher / Repository:
- Biology
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Biology
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 10
- ISSN:
- 2079-7737
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 826
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13100826
